A tribute was paid to a mum's "instinctive heroism" after she tragically drowned in the sea off New Brighton.
A three-day inquest into the death of mum-of-two Christine Robinson, 57, heard she had been taking a walk along the prom with her son Niall and pet dog, named Geordie, on the afternoon of July 6, 2020. The day was described as windy, with high waves crashing into the sea wall.
The dog ran towards the water and was followed by Niall. After what was described as a "mishap with a ball," the dog ran into the sea.
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Niall attempted to bring the dog back to shore but was swept into the sea. His mum, in what was described as "an act of instinctive heroism" by the coroner, went into the water behind him, even though the sea was very rough at the time.
Concerned members of the public who raised the alarm described seeing two people in the choppy water. The New Brighton lifeboat was called out by the coastguard to attend the scene and arrived some 15 minutes later.
One lifeguard described the sea at the time as "like a washing machine", with waves rebounding off the sea wall in unpredictable directions.
Although Niall and the dog were both rescued from the water, Mrs Robinson ended up lying on some rocks near the shore and out of reach of the lifeboat crew. By the time she was recovered from the scene, she was found to be unresponsive and was pronounced dead on the promenade on Kings Parade, New Brighton.
Joseph Hart, assistant coroner for Liverpool and Wirral, said: "There were a number of assessments that had to be made to ascertain the most capable asset to be deployed in the swiftest possible time. There were delays to appraise the situation, but these arose out of a genuine and reasonable need to assess the situation and send the most appropriate asset to the scene."
A post mortem gave Mrs Robinson's cause of death as drowning. Mr Hart said he was giving a narrative conclusion to the inquest because of uncertainty over the sequence of events and how she became swept into the sea.
He concluded: "She was bravely trying to help her son, when she was swept out to sea. She drowned despite the best efforts of the emergency services to save her."
Mrs Robinson was originally from South Shields but at the time of her death was living in Eastham, Wirral. She worked as a pharmacy dispenser for Boots in Chester.
In a statement released through police following her death in 2020, her family - who were not present at the inquest - described her as having "a positive impact on every person's life she entered".
They said: "There are no words that can describe the emptiness we are all feeling following the tragic loss of our mum.
"We can't even begin to describe what type of person she was, she had such a positive impact on every person's life she entered and was so caring and kindhearted.
"Her smile could brighten up anyone's day. If she wasn't working or with her friends and family she could always be found in the garden with our dog trying to tidy up.
"She was a beloved partner, loving mother and heartwarming friend. The loss of our mum has been felt far and wide by our family and friends in the North East, where she is from.
"This is just another bright aspect of our mum's life that no matter how far she was from friends or family she was always there for people in any way she could be.
"The love and kindness that our mum showed us will help us to find strength in these difficult times.
"We'd also like to send a heartfelt thank you to the RNLI, Coastguard, Police and Ambulance service for their hard work during this tragic event."
